Lightning, Darkness, and a Wild Card
by MaikuFreakingKamiyama
Summary: Its a new beginning for Maiku Kamiyama, new city, new school, even a new life. But when he gets pulled into the war between Light and Dark, can he and his new teammates pull through? Rated T for violence and the occasional curse. May change
1. A train, a coffin, and a contract

Chapter 1: A train, a coffin and a contract

(Disclaimer is at the bottom, where it will always be :P)

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On a train somewhere, a 16 year old boy stifled a yawn sleepily. "Dammit, first thing I do when I get there is find my room and sleep like there's no tomorrow... Well ok, I'll introduce myself to whoever's awake and THEN sleep, can't be rude for a first impression." He stifled another yawn. His name is Maiku Kamiyama, 16 years old, 11th grade. He has just transferred to a new school and is currently en-route to Port Island, where the school and his new dorm will be located. Suddenly the speaker overhead crackled to life, and that ever monotonous voice said "Iwatodai station, Iwatodai. We would like to apologize for the slight delay..." It droned on for quite a bit more, but Maiku wasn't paying attention. He mumbled to himself, "_Slight_ delay my ass... its almost freaking midnight, I should have been there almost 4 hours ago." He sighed and bent to pick up his case from the floor.

15 minutes later

"About freaking time..." Maiku muttered to himself as the train came to a halt and he disembarked. He fished around in the pockets of his jeans and pulled out a folded and slightly crumpled piece of paper. These were his directions to the dorm where he would stay from now on. He gave the map on the paper a quick once over and then headed off. 2 minutes later he realized he was headed in the wrong direction. "Stupid complete lack of a sense of direction..." He headed off again, this time in the correct direction. Just as he was exiting the station, a nearby clock whirred to life and struck midnight. He spared the clock a glance, which just reminded him about how tired he actually was. He stifled another yawn and was about to set off again when he was brought up short by the fact that less then 3 feet away stood a towering black coffin. He stood there with one foot poised to keep walking, and glanced around, noticing more coffins littered around the street and as far as he could see. He stood there for another minute before sighing and shaking his head, "Ok its official, I'm going insane... no wait, I already am insane... yep, I REALLY need to get to sleep..." He laughed slightly to himself, double checked his map, and headed off.

Almost an hour later, after passing quite a few more coffins, and enough blood to fill lake Ontario, he reached the front doors of Iwatodai Dorm (AN: Even after playing through the game 3 times I don't even know if the place has a name, so its now Iwatodai Dorm. If someone knows the real name, tell me please). The walk really should have only taken 15 minutes but... yeah he got lost again. "Stupid... sense of direction... Well what do we got here". He gave the front of the building a quick look over and though to himself, "Hmm, nice place. Wonder if anyone's still up..." After staring for a little while longer, he re-adjusted his case on his back and walked up the stairs to the front door and opened it. He let himself inside and closed the door, placing his case on the floor and looking around.

"Welcome, I've been expecting you..."

Maiku nearly jumped out of his skin when that voice came out of nowhere. "DEARJESUSONASTICK!!" He spun around, looking for the source of the voice and spotted a young boy with short black hair, wearing a black and white horizontal striped shirt and pants. Maiku thought to himself as he looked at the kid "O...k... this kid looks like he just broke out of the big house... well the _little_ house at least..." The boy continued on as if Maiku hadn't said anything, "I hope your trip was enjoyable?" "Uh, yeah. It was fi- when the hell did you get so close to me..." How Maiku missed the fact that the boy had moved from behind the counter to less than a foot in front of him was a mystery unto itself. "That really isn't important. If you would just sign this please." The boy tilted his head to the side a bit, smiled and handed Maiku what looked like a clipboard with something attached to it. "Um... ok, what is this paper anyways?" "Oh it's just a contract saying that everything that happens from this point on is of your own free will, and that no one else is responsible except you." "So... it's a release form..." Maiku shrugged, "Ok, guess it fits." He quickly scribbled his signature and gave it back to the boy, who took it and smiled widely. "Well then. I hope you enjoy yourself. Because time delivers us all to an equal end, you can't just plug your ears and cover your eyes." The boy slowly backed into the shadows and spoke quietly, "I get the feeling that this will be interesting..." And with that the boy disappeared into the darkness.

As the nameless boy vanished the room took on a greenish hue, which slightly startled Maiku. He stood where he was, looking around the room (which apparently was the lounge) when he heard movement somewhere ahead of him, followed by a slightly panicked voice saying "Who's there!"

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AN: WOO!! My first chapter is COMPLETE-MUNDO!! It kinda feels iffy to me but yeah, I'm just starting XD

Also, while comments reviews and criticism are gladly accepted, so are flames, cuz they let me know what I'm doing wrong and what I can fix so leave em all you want

P.S I'm looking for someone to beta my work, in other words, give it a once over to see if it makes sense, flows nicely, and is devoid of spelling errors, so if you think your up to it, tell me

PEACE OUT EVERY BODY!!

Oh and I don't own, or claim to own Persona 3. That belongs to the glorious people at Atlus who brought this game to us. GOD BLESS YOU ATLUS!

But you see that main character there? He's mine, and if anyone uses him without my permission, god, Satan, not even Chuck Norris will be able to hide you :3


	2. A gun, Two girls, and a soft bed

Chapter 2: A gun, Two girls and a soft bed

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_"Who's there?!"_

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The voice was slightly panicked and shaky. The source of the voice turned out to be a girl, around Maiku's age from what he could guess, with brown hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a pink shirt with a bright red ribbon on the front of it, and a black mini skirt. It looked like some sort of uniform. She stood about 10 feet away, shaking slightly, and looking out of breath. Maiku raised an eyebrow and was about to step forward to say 'HI', when she shouted, "Don't Move!!" Her right hand twitched downwards slightly and Maiku saw that, strapped to her right leg, was what looked like a gun. Maiku's eyes widened in shock as he froze on the spot, eyes shifting between looking at her face and the gun at her side. For what seemed like an eternity the two just stood there, and it was Maiku who broke the stalemate by moving his other leg up so it came level with his front one, so he was standing up straight again. The girl's hand flew to the handle of the gun and Maiku tensed to move when suddenly a commanding voice called out "Takeba wait!!"

The brunette spun around and Maiku looked towards the source of the voice, revealing another girl with red hair, slightly older looking than the brunette and at least a head taller, standing near the bottom of the stairs at the other end of the lounge. She wore a white ruffled blouse with a red ribbon on the front (just like the other girl), and a knee length black skirt. Her face held no signs of... well anything. It was calm, collected, and looked slightly amused at the scene. The brunette relaxed slightly and released the handle of the gun. "Jesus... I know that girls have to protect themselves but DAMN, a gun? And a pretty nice one at that..." Both girls turned their heads to look at the boy when he spoke and were shocked to see that in his hands, he had the gun that just moments before the girl named Takeba was holding. Takeba looked down and gasped to see that the gun was indeed missing from its holster, and her face shot up to look back at the boy who was holding it.

He looked up after realising that he was being stared at and raised an eyebrow in confusion. He then looked down at the gun he was holding and exclaimed, "OH, sorry, eheheh, I kinda grabbed it as a defence mechanism, sorry." He bowed slightly and walked up to the brunette and handed it back to her, handle first. She just stared at him open mouthed for a second before regaining her composure and taking the gun back from him and stowing it hastily back in its holder. "How did you..." she started, and then apparently changed her mind shaking her head, "Never mind. Anyways, don't scare a girl like that. Who knows what could've happened." "Ahah... me... scare you... listen, Takeba was it?.. You're the one wielding a gun here, I'M the one scared out of my pants, I mean sheesh I didn't realise girls in this city walked around armed.." He stood there scratching the back of his head with one hand while the other was in his pocket. Suddenly the girl on the stairs spoke, and apparently while Maiku was talking, she had moved off the stairs and was now less than 3 feet away.

Maiku, having almost forgotten she was even there, nearly jumped in surprise and muttered under his breath about 'Everyone popping up out of nowhere like they're ninjas or something'. Then the lights kicked in. Suddenly the green hue was gone and everything was lit like it was supposed to be. Maiku brushed the fact off, blaming it on his lack of sleep. The red-head continued as if uninterrupted, "I didn't think you'd arrive so late." she said with a half smile, half smirk. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, I'm one of the students who live here in the dorm." "Who's he?" asked the brown haired girl named Takeba. "He's a new transfer student, it was kind of a last minute decision to place him here. His name is..." Before she could finish, Maiku cut in. "My name, is Maiku Kamiyama. It's a pleasure to meet you both, and I'm sorry if I startled you back there." He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, y-yeah... thanks." Takeba looked back at Mitsuru and asked quizzically "Is it okay for him to be here..?" "I guess we'll see..." was all the answer she got.

"This is Yukari Takeba, she's in your grade." continued Mitsuru smoothly. Yukari bowed slightly at Maiku and responded with a simple "Hey". Mitsuru spoke up again, "It's getting late, you should get some rest." "Oh dear god yes, I thought we'd never get there," responded Maiku while looking down at his watch exhaustedly, which to his astonishment currently read 12:01am. "Eh?... But, it was 12 when I left the station... and I was lost for almost an hour..." He looked up and spotted a wall clock that red the same time. He stared for a minute then sighed, "Ok, I'm cracking up, I REALLY need that bed". Hearing this, Mitsuru said "Your room is on the second floor, and your things should already be there." With that she glanced at Yukari. "Oh... right. I'll show you the way, follow me." He picked up his case, slung it on his back, and followed her up.

She led him up one flight of stairs to the second floor, stopped in front of the door at the end of the hallway and stated "This is it. And since you're at the end of the hall, it's easy to remember which one is yours. Oh and make sure you don't lose this key," she handed a key to Maiku and continued, "Or else you'll NEVER hear the end of it... So, any questions?" Maiku drew breath and was about to ask about that creepy, jailbird kid from downstairs but decided against it. He just shook his head and answered "Nah I'm good, thanks." "Ok... Oh, can I ask you something?" "Huh? Sure, fire away" "On the way here from the station..." she started hesitantly, "was everything okay?" "Okay?," he responded, sounding puzzled, "Well as okay as it can be walking the streets at midnight, in a place I really don't know, but yeah, except for that one guy who was stupid enough to try and swipe my case at the station, it was fine." Yukari looked at him slightly surprised that he could talk about that so nonchalantly, "Really? What happened, did the guards get him?" "Nah, I just gave him what he wanted. My case. Upside his head." Yukari sweat-dropped and laughed nervously at that comment. "W-well anyways, I'd better get going, it's late and I bet you really want to sleep." "Oh like you wouldn't believe Yukari, like you wouldn't believe..." "Okay then," she smiled and bowed slightly, "Goodnight then, see you in the morning. Don't sleep in now, after all, it's your first day of school." Maiku groaned, "Please, don't remind me..." Yukari just laughed, "Well 'night"

With that, Yukari walked away and headed downstairs again, leaving Maiku alone in front of his door. He looked at the key in his hand, clenched it and smiled. He then opened the door to his room and walked in, setting his case to the side, taking of his shoes and pants, leaving his shirt and plopped down onto his bed, asleep the moment he hit the pillow. As he drifted off he thought, "Well now, that was an interesting way to kick of a fresh start at life... ah well..." And with that he was asleep, a new day just hours away, and the start of his new life lurking along with it.

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YAY Chapter 2 is done, and once again it's ridiculously long, I feel like I'm writing a novel at a time with each chapter XD

So yes, DISCLAIMER TIME!!

I, The Divine Lord Kamina, do not own, nor do I claim to own (though I WISH) Persona 3. It rightfully belongs to the wonderful people at Atlus USA

So yes, review, comment, or flame away my fellow readers, because it will only make me that much better.

When will the next chapter come out is a mystery, because it depends when I get off my lazy ass to actually write XD because its all already set up in my head, but you cant read that now can you... can you?! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!

Anywayz PEACE OUT!!


	3. Stairs, omelettes and a wall clock

Chapter 3: Stairs, omlettes and a wall clock

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_With a new day just hours away, his new life here had begun without him noticing..._

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"Phew, nothing like a nice hot shower to wake a guy up in the morning...", said Maiku to himself happily, as he stepped out of the shower and headed to his room in a pair of long shorts. "I really wish I could have slept untill noon today, but the whole school thing..." he sighed like a kid being forced to go see the most boring movie in the world. He entered his room and found his uniform (which was hanging behind his door from the night before) and looked at it with a small frown on his face. "I really hate uniforms... but at least i dont have to worry about what to wear every morning." he said to himself while shrugging and starting to get dressed. The uniform consisted of a white dress shirt with a neck tie, a black jacket to go over it that had the school's logo on it, (AN: think the bmw logo except remove everything except the black and white circle and you got it) and a pair of black pants. He studied himself in the mirror for a bit after getting dressed. "Hmm, not bad, its actually kinda cool lookin'." he thought to himself.

His self admiration was brought up short by a knocking at his door followed voice calling, "Hey, it's Yukari. You awake yet in there?" Maiku was about to grab the door handle and open the door, when he thought 'Nah lets mess with her a bit'. "No i'm not, this is just a recording set to go off whenever someone knocks on the door, try again in about 3 weeks. Thank you." He could hear Yukari laughing outside his door saying, "Very funny you, now come on out." Maiku opened the door and exited laughing lightly, saying "Damm, and here I thought I could fool you." "Yeah yeah Mr.Smarty pants, now come on, we got a little while before the train leaves, so we can have breakfast downstairs." She laughed again slightly and walked off in the direction of the stairs, while Maiku stood where he was for a few moments more, letting out a yawn and stretching his arms out above his head. He made his way over to the stairs, telling himself aloud "Ok then, time to start of my new school life with a b-DEARJESUSALMIGHTYONASTICK!"

Following that yell were a series of loud thumps and a final BANG as Maiku tripped and fell down the stairs, ending up face down on the floor. Following _that_, Maiku let loose a fluent stream of what one could only guess were curses in a language that neither neither girl in the lounge had ever heard before. He continued for a solid minute, picking himself up off the floor in the meantime. He finally finished with, "Dammit who the hell put those stairs there..." He glared death at the stairs, and then turned around to spot Yukari on the verge of laughter with both hands covering her mouth, and Mitsuru just giving him an odd, questioning look. Maiku looked back and forth between the girls, "What? You've never seen a guy fall down the stairs before?" "It's not that Kamiyama," responded Mitsuru, who tended to call people by their last name, "It's just that I've yet to see one fall down stairs and then proceed to start cursing in and unknown language.", a small smile/smirk tugged at the edge of her mouth while she spoke. "Eh? Oh, that was greek. Guess my brain kinda switched to that subconsiously so I didn't go on swearing for a good minute in english..." He laughed nervously and scratched his cheek absentmindedly. Yukari, seeming to have recovered from her fit of concealed laughter, finally spoke, "Well, now that we've had our daily dose of funny, I say we have breakfast." "Good call Yukari, which way's the kitchen? I'm in the mood for an omlette today.." "Uh..." Yukari responded while pointing towards the kitchen, "Eggs? I was thinking cereal... unless you wanna cook." "Umm... that was the idea. Of course im gonna cook, what did you think, my omlette is just gonna magically appear on my plate?", Maiku joked sarcasticly, walking off towards the kitchen.

Yukari just stood there and watched where Maiku disappeared around the corner for a second, comprehending the conversation just now, then decided to follow him into the kitchen for breakfast. When she rounded the corner (with Mitsuru right behind her), she spotted Maiku digging through the fridge with a pan on the stove, and next to it stood a bottle of cooking oil, some ham, an onion, and red and green peppers. Yukari took a seat at the table and said, "Wow, so you really ARE gonna cook breakfast." "Yep. Don't you every now and then? I mean come on, it must get boring eating cereal day in and day out.", Maiku responded, still digging through the fridge muttering to himself, "eggs... eggs... where are they dammit... AHA, gotcha." He triumphantly pulled out a carton of eggs and set it down next to everything else. "OK!!" he said while taking off the jacket and rolling up his sleeves, "Lets get this little cooking fiesta started!!"

5 minutes, one frying pan, and a used bowl later, Yukari and Mitsuru both had plates infront of them, on which was, in the words of Mitsuru, 'A very appealing looking' omlette. And Yukari had to agree, it did smell awesome. "Well ladies, dig in and tell me what you think.", Maiku said while leaning against the counter smiling at his work. He also had a plate next to him. "Okay then, Itadakimasu.", and with that both girls picked up their forks and took a bite of the food. Yukari's face lit up and Mitsuru's eyes widened. Maiku raised an eyebrow at the looks on their faces and was about to ask if something was wrong when Yukari burst out with, "This is AWESOME!" She then proceeded to attack her omlette hungrily. Mitsuru on the other hand spoke as calm and coolly as ever, "I have to say Kamiyama, this omlette is tres magnifique." Maiku just laughed and smiled, "Why thank you madam Kirijo". He bowed like a waitor at one of those fancy french restaurants. She chuckled lightly, then continued eating her food, though much more calmly than Yukari, who looked like this was the best thing she had ever eaten in her life.

A short while later, all 3 plates were empty and placed in the sink to soak. "I'll deal with those when we get back," Maiku said while looking at the wall clock. "Oi Yukari, what time does that train leave again?" "About every 15 minutes, it's not that long a wait but it's long enough that if you miss this one you're almost always late..." responded Yukari while looking up at the wall clock as well. After seeing the time her eyes widened and she yelled, "HOLY CRAP!! WE HAVE LESS THAN 4 MINUTES!" Maiku sighed and ran out of the kitchen yelling "Dammit!. I KNEW things were going too smoothly for me." The sounds of him running up the stairs followed him, while Yukari ran out of the small kitchen to grab her bag which was beside the chair she was sitting at earlier. 3 seconds later the sounds of running could be heard from upstairs, followed by a muffled THUMP as Maiku jumped over the banister on the staircase, bypassing the stairs completely. He laughed and said aloud, "HAH! I win you stupid stairs." Yukari looked at him, wondering how the hell he managed to get upstairs, into his room, grab his case and a book bag, and then make it back down, all in less that 10 seconds. She just shook her head to clear her mind. She opened the door and shouted over her shoulder to Mitsuru, who was just emerging from the kitchen as calm as ever, "See ya at school sempai!" With that she bolted out the front door with Maiku hot on her heels.

The door swung shut behind him and left mitsuru alone in the lounge laughing lightly to herself. "Well this has been an eventful morning. And I think it's only going to get more interesting..."

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CHAPTAH 3 FINIIIIISH!!

Me: As you all can see, I LOVE abusing poor lil Maiku-chan :3 its just so much fun when him gravity and a set of stairs get together

Maiku comes out of nowhere and whacks me in the head

Me: OHDEARJESUSWHY

Maiku: Thats for making me fall down the stairs you ass

Me: Oi, i made you leap over the stairs like a ninja tho didnt i?

Maiku: True... meh, i just like hitting you anywayz

Me: TT

Me: so anyways, im betting the readers are wondering what that case you always carry around is

Maiku: Oh this? Its a guitar case. Dont worry readers, it'll come into the light eventually, it has quite a story to it too :D

Me: Well i hope you all enjoyed this chapter, next one will be up WHO KNOWS WHEN!!

Me and Maiku: BYE BEEE!!

Maiku: Oh yes. The author does not own, nor does he claim to own Persona 3. It belongs to the people at Atlus USA

Me: FEAR THEM AND ALL THEIR GODLYNESS!!

Maiku: Ok thats it. NO SOUP FOR YOU

Me: NUUUUUUUUUU

Me: Dont forget to comment, critisize and flame to you hearts content, oh and that beta-er position is stiiiiiill open, so if you think your up to it, tell me BYE BEE!!


	4. A guitar, a ceremony, and a new face

Chapter 4: A guitar, a ceremony and a new face

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Before I start, I'd just like to send a big shout out to Alexander the Indiscriminate, hillwise, and Centurious The Azure for being the first (Of hopefully many) people to review my work and offer advice on fixing it. These reviews really help THANK YOU!!

Maiku: Ok ok, enough jibba jabba, on with the story

Me: \ Fine, be that way.

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"Crap crap crap, why didn't I see what time it was." Yukari must have said that at least 5 times in the last 2 minutes, and it was starting to get on Maiku's nerves. Panting slightly he responded, "Just be quiet about that will you? It's BOTH our faults, you for being an airhead, and me for not realizing your an airhead sooner." Yukari fumed at that last statement but kept on running.

They were almost to Iwatodai station and they hoped to god that the train was delayed slightly, or they'd never make it on time. They sprinted around the corner and up the escalator, startling a few people as they rushed past, arriving on the platform just in time to hear the sound signaling that the monorail doors were closing. This was at one end of the platform, they were at the other.

Yukari, sounding very out of breath, started to say, "Crap, we're not gonna make-" "Oh will you shut up little miss negativity? Come on!" Maiku grabbed her by the arm and the next thing she knew they were crossing the distance to the doors in no time flat. Maiku unceremoniously shoved her through the door just in time, and barely squeezed in after her, almost getting caught in the door himself.

Yukari leaned up against the wall breathing heavily, wondering how and the hell they actually managed to make it on time without hitting some kind of time-space wormhole. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Maiku waving a hand in front of her face until he poked her forehead. "Huh? Oh! Sorry, I just sorta spaced out there. What did you say?" Maiku sighed and then spoke, "I _said_, would you like to take a seat, there's a couple of empties over there" He pointed towards a pair of empty seats.

Still very out of breath from running to the station, Yukari took him up on his offer and plopped down onto one of the seats very unceremoniously, while Maiku on the other hand sat down like he didn't have a care in the world. She stared at him like he was insane.

"How the hell are you not tired. We just ran what should have been a 15 minute walk in about 2." He replied smiling lazily "Your point?" "_My point,_ is that either a) You're a track star and haven't told anyone, b) You're a government spy-ninja and this is nothing compared to your training, or c) You are the craziest person I have EVER met."

Maiku just laughed, and kept on laughing for a good 3 minutes before finally calming down enough to talk. " Okay there Miss Paranoid, this is how it is; a), no freaking way, b) I WISH, that sounds awesome, and c) Yes I most likely am the craziest person you've ever met. So to answer your first question, what can i say, I'm naturally fast" he finished with a shrug.

Yukari gave him one more 'Your crazy' stare, and then gave up on that topic, instead switching to something else that was on her mind. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what's that case you've got with you. You had it last night too." "What, this old thing?" Even though he said that he smiled widely and continued, "This, my dear Yukari, is my guitar case. I'll give ya 3 tries to guess whats inside."

Yukari gave him a look that practically YELLED 'Har Har funny guy' and said "Well what else would you have in a guitar case besides a guitar..." "Lots of stuff, porn, a bomb, dismembered bodies, drugs, a gun, your key chain collection, and cassettes, and paper and-" Maiku would have happily listed more but he was cut off abruptly by Yukari's book bag connecting solidly with the back of his head. She sighed and spoke in a disappointed tone, "Is NO ONE innocent these days?" "Yukari, innocence ends at the age of 12 for most people." Once again the back of his head was assaulted by her book bag.

She watched him rub the back of his head gingerly for a minute, then looked up to glance out the window. When she saw what was outside, her face lit up and she nudged Maiku "Hey look. There's the school." Maiku lifted his head and glanced out the window to see for himself. "Huh, it's actually a pretty normal loo- holycrapinahat. That is one BIG school." The sudden change in Maiku's sentence was brought about when the monorail had turned a bit more to the left and the school was _completely_ in view.

Yukari could only giggle at the look on his face as he saw the size of the school. "Don't worry, you'll get used to all the walking pretty soon." "Oh it's not that, it's just that I have a non-existent sense of direction. I can already guess that I'm gonna get lost quite a bit..." Yukari just laughed, "Ah well, just pick up a map from the office or something." She patted him on the back and then stood up and picked up her bag.

"Well come on, this is our stop. Well its the _only _stop." Maiku got up and slung his case and bag over his shoulder and got ready to dis-embark.

--

They walked from the station towards the school along with a large group of other students, many of which called out to Yukari and greeted her with"Good morning"s and "How are you"s. After the latest batch had moved on, Maiku glanced sideways at her and said in a _very _crappy (and mocking) French accent, "Well now, aren't WE little miss popularity." She just raised an eyebrow at him and laughed, "Yeah yeah mock all you want, you're just jealous." "Ouch, if I still had any sanity left, that would have hurt", joked Maiku.

A minute or two later, they had reached the front gates to the school. Maiku stopped here and just stared at the school in front of him, comprehension finally catching up with him when he thought, 'This isn't just some school any more... it's my school..." Thinking that made him smile, which didn't go unnoticed by Yukari, as she just smiled as well and stated triumphantly "Well, I guess this is welcome to Gekkoukan High. Hope you like it." "I would, except by doing do I'm kinda shooting myself in the foot." Yukari just rolled her eyes and told him to hurry up or else they'd miss the Welcoming Ceremony.

Once inside, they stopped in the lobby and Yukari turned to him and said "Well this is it. You'll be ok from here right?" "Yeah, I'll be fine, as long as i don't get lost." Yukari rolled her eyes, "Whatever. You should probably go see your homeroom teacher first. They're most likely in the Faculty Office, which is right there to your left." She pointed to a sign that read "Faculty Office" which pointed down another hallway.

"... And that concludes the tour. Anything you wanna ask before I go?" Not really knowing why, Maiku asked, "Yeah, you know which homeroom your in yet?"

She raised an eyebrow and responded, "Me? I dunno... I haven't looked at the classroom assignments yet." "Oh, ok well see ya later I guess". Maiku was about to walk off when Yukari spoke up. "Hey... About last night... don't tell anyone what you saw, Okay? See ya."

With that, she hurried off, leaving Maiku confused. He just shrugged and glanced over to his right and spotted a bunch of students standing in front of the bulletin board there. Interested, he walked over and asked the nearest student, "Hey, whats everyone reading?" "This? It's the classroom assignments. We're looking to see which class we're in." "Aha... well I _Should_ be headed to the homeroom office, but I guess I could spare a minute to find my name.

So he started scanning the lists for his name. Not finding it, he scratched his head with a "Huh? Where the heck is it..." and started looking again. He spotted a note attached to the board and decided to take a closer look. The note read "Maiku Kamiyama - Class F" Maiku sweat dropped and thought to himself, 'Okay, either I'm special and they put me on that note, or the completely forgot about me and scribbled that at the last second...' He voted on the last option.

"Well, guess I'm off to the Faculty Office now" He turned to leave when a student overheard him and said "Um, the Faculty Office is the other way." Maiku almost tripped when he spun around "Ahehehehe, yeah... -cough- I knew that." He walked off quickly in the right direction. Moments later he found himself in front of the Faculty Office door. "Well, here I go." He took a breath to calm himself and opened the door and walked in.

Inside the office was slightly less extravagant than he had imagined. It just had a row of desks in the middle, at one of which a teacher was sitting at, and lots of cabinets along the sides of the room. Maiku glanced around and realized that he had no idea who he was looking for. He was about to inquire when a teacher off to the side spoke up, "Oh, are you the new student?" Maiku nodded. The teacher (A woman, a tiny bit taller than Maiku, brunette, wearing what looked like an off pink suit.) opened up the file she was carrying and glanced through it quickly. "Maiku Kamiyama... 11th grade, correct? Wow you've lived in quite a few different places... Lets see... In 1996... That was what, 13 years ago? Your parents...!!" She gasped and closed the file quickly.

"I'm sorry... I've been so busy, I didn't have time to read this before hand." Maiku just raised his hands in an 'Ah well' gesture and smiled, "Don't worry Miss, I won't tell if you don't" She laughed and introduced herself, "Well I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach composition. Welcome to our school." Maiku bowed slightly and responded, "It's a pleasure to meet you and be here Toriumi-sensei!"

She chuckled, "Wow, such enthusiasm. Anyways, have you seen the classroom assignments yet?" "Huh? Oh yeah, I did. A note said I was in class F.." The teacher nodded. "Yes, thats correct, your in 2-F, that's my class." Her face looked like she just remembered something. "Oh but first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony is starting soon" she said while glancing at her watch. "Follow me"

--

"As you begin the new school year, I'd like each of you to remember the proverb, 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well'. When applied to student life, this means..." 'Dear god does this dude EVER shut up. He's been talking for the last 20 minutes..." Maiku thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by someone behind him tapping him on the shoulder and whispering, _"Psst... Hey.." _

Maiku turned his head to look at the guy behind him. "What". "You came to school with Yukari this morning right? I saw you two walking together." Maiku responded sarcastically, "Naahhh really?" The guy continued as if Maiku hadn't spoken. "Hey I have a question. Do you know if she has a boyfriend?" Annoyed at the fact he was being distracted from a good nap opportunity, Maiku responded with, "No, and she's probably out of your league anyways." The guy forgot he was supposed to be whispering and spoke a fraction louder, "Hey, whats your problem?"

"I hear talking!" A teacher from another class had heard the boy. "I believe it's some one in Ms. Toriumi's class..." The guy who was talking to Maiku quickly sat back in his chair and looked to the front. "Shh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!" Ms. Toriumi warned in a hushed tone. 'Uh.. I can hear way more people than us talking' Maiku thought to himself. And it was true, small conversations had broken out across the whole auditorium.

--

The ceremony finally finished, and the students spent the rest of the day in their homerooms. School had just finished for the day, and Maiku was just picking up his bag and case to leave when a student walked up to him and said, " 'Sup, dude!? How's it goin'?" Maiku stared blankly at him for a second, then finally said, "Who're you?" The male student (Wearing the normal uniform,except he wore a blue dress shirt under the jacket, and a blue hat) smiled and said, "Me? I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya." Maiku was about to introduce himself, but Junpei continued, "I transfered here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... So I wanted to say, 'Hey'. Heh, see what a nice guy I am!"

Maiku would have said something, but once again he was interrupted, this time by the door of the classroom opening and Junpei turning to see who it was and exclaiming, "Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" Wondering who Junpei was talking about, Maiku looked to see Yukari walking up to the two of them.

"I didn't think we'd be in the same class again." Yukari sighed, "At it again, huh Junpei? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?" Junpei looked astonished. "What? But, I was just bein' friendly." "He's got a point there Yukari" Maiku added in. Junpei beamed at him and turned back to Yukari, "See Yuka-tan? He gets it." "Yukari just shrugged, "If you say so."

She turned to Maiku and said, "Anyways, looks like we're in the same homeroom..." "Heh, yep. Looks like I finally caught a break." Yukari and Junpei looked at Maiku when he said this, and he explained. "I mean that I'm not stuck in a homeroom without knowing anyone." "Haha, Yup! You got me around, new kid!" Maiku sweat-dropped. "You still don't even know my name dude..."

Junpei smacked his face with his palm, and said apologetically "Crap! Sorry dude, I totally forgot about that." Maiku just sighed and said, "It's ok, not like its the first time... Well anyways, I'm Maiku Kamiyama. Nice to meet ya Junpei." "Heh, same dude." They shook hands. Junpei's face lit up at something. "By the way... I heard you two came to school together this morning." He glanced at Maiku, "What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

Maiku just sighed, while Yukari looked shocked and blurted out, "Wh-What are you talking about!? We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on, okay?"

'She should have stopped at "in the same dorm"...' Maiku thought to himself. She continued, "Why are people even talking about it!? Now you have me worried..." She glanced over at Maiku and spoke quietly, _"Hey...You didn't say anything to anyone about... you know what, did you? _He looked at her and shook his head fractionally side to side, signaling "Nope"

She sighed with relief. "Okay, good... Seriously... Don't say _Anything_ about last night, alright?" Yukari had forgotten to keep her voice down, and as a result, everyone who was still in the room turned to look at the trio standing there. Junpei's face was full of astonishment and shock. Maiku was praying to god that this would be over with swiftly. Yukari looked at the two of them and stuttered confusedly, "Wh-What?"

Junpei, getting over his shock spoke slowly, in a hushed tone. "L-Last night...?" At this point Maiku was seriously wishing for a random thunderbolt to hit the both of them. (AN: It's soooo tempting... but no, Maiku has to suffer :D) Seeing as that was impossible, he contemplated running, but Yukari was in the way.

As for Yukari herself, she realized the interpretation of her words and was now trying to fix it. "W-Wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea!" She took a threatening step towards Junpei and continued. "Listen! I just met his YESTERDAY, and there's absolutely nothing between us!! Geez... I've gotta go, I've got something to take care of for the archery team. But, you better not start any rumors!"

With that she stormed away hurriedly. Junpei, looking lost as hell, said "Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously anyway. She's so paranoid..." "Thats what I said." Junpei smirked at Maiku's comment and continued. "But, hey! It's your first day here and people are talkin' about you already! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da MAN!" Junpei laughed and rubbed his hands together expectantly. "Heheh. This is gonna be a fun year, I can feel it!"

--

Me & Maiku: It's time fooooor... AUTHORS CORNER!!

Me: WOOO! chapter 4 is quite a doozy there.

Maiku: Yep it's pretty long, and i kept getting interrupted!

Me: Thats because your not important

gets beat over the head with Maiku's case

Me: DEARGODNOTAGAIN

Maiku: Anywho, This chapter marked the introduction of Junpei Iori. He's kinda the class clown.

Me (having recovered from the savage beating): Yes indeed.

Maiku: Oh, and WHY DIDNT YOU SMITE THEM WHEN I PRAYED DAMMIT!

Me: Because, then you wouldn't get to suffer!!

-Whack-

-thump-

Maiku: Anywho. The author does not own, nor does the claim to own Persona 3. That belongs to Atlus USA.

Me: On a side note, until i find a script for the ENTIRE game, im gonna have to start playing it again, so i dont forget any crucial lines or funny moments.

-edit- Me: Holy crap in a hat I ACTUALLY found a script to the entire game, down to the freaking letter XD.

Me & Maiku: BYE BEEEEEE

P.S COMMENT AND REVIEW!! They help me greatly and make me get off my ass and write XD


	5. Bonus chapter 1

Extra chapter 1

Today's lesson : Some things you just cant win...

--

One day, Junpei and Maiku were sitting in Hakagure, enjoying a bowl of ramen. Upon finishing, Maiku reached for his wallet, and realized he had left it at home. Unable to pay, he thought quickly as to how the hell he could get out of this. Getting Junpei to pay seemed like the best option, but he didn't want to outright ask him. Then, an idea hit him with the force of one of Chuck Norris' famous roundhouse kicks.

"Hey Junpei..." Junpei looked up from his bowl of ramen with a questioning look. "Yeah? What." Maiku smirked, "I've got an idea... I wanna make a bet with you.. and loser has to pay for lunch. You in?" Junpei looked skeptical and said, "Depends, what are we betting on." Maiku smiled, he'd gotten him hooked, now all he needed was to reel in the big one... "Well, I bet you, that take a short glass full of water, put it on the counter here and put your hat on it, and drink the glass without touching the hat. Allow me to demonstrate."

He waved the guy behind the counter over. "Yo boss, do you have any short glasses lying around?" The guy raised an eyebrow and spoke "Well...I really shouldn't be getting involved in this... but it sounds interesting. Yeah I got a small shot glass lying around." "Perfect, ya mind filling it with water and giving it to me?" The guy chuckled. "Sure."

He walked away, and a moment later, he came back with a shot glass full of water. "Thanks boss man." The man smiled, "No problem." Maiku turned to Junpei again, "Okay, we have a glass. Now if you don't mind..." he snatched Junpei's hat from his head, "we need this." Junpei protested but then stopped remembering that he said a hat was needed.

Maiku took the hat and placed it on top of the glass, effectively covering it. "Ok, so as you can see, the glass is covered, and there's no way for me to get to it without moving the hat right?" Junpei looked it over,and agreed. "Ok then, you in on this bet or what?" Junpei smirked, knowing this was gonna be an easy win. "Fine, you're on!" They shook on it to seal the deal and then Maiku reached over and grabbed a straw from a container on the counter. He showed it to Junpei. "Okay, so this is a plain straw right? It doesn't bend so I can't curve it into the glass, right?" Junpei nodded "Okay then, here we go."

He slid the straw under the hat, re-adjusted it a bit, and then proceeded to take a drink from it. He then pulled the straw out from under the hat and said, "Done, now pay up." Junpei shook his head and said, "Hold up hold up, how do I know it's empty. There's no way." "Sure there is." "Then take off the hat and show me it's empty." "No, you do it" finished Maiku with a triumphant smile.

Junpei, seeing Maiku wasn't gonna budge reluctantly said, "Fine I'll move it. Just to prove you wrong." He reached over and picked up the hat, to reveal a still full glass. "HAH!" He exclaimed triumphantly, "It's not empty, I w--" Maiku had reached over and taken the glass while Junpei spoke, and downed it. Placing the glass down, he smiled innocently and said, "See? Told ya I could drink it without touching the hat. And it's all thanks to you."

Junpei had frozen in the middle of his little victory dance, and Maiku was sure he could hear his soul breaking. The man behind the counter just started laughing, and then spoke. "HAHA, he got you good there boy. Nice work." He patted Maiku on the back and kept on chuckling. Junpei on the other hand looked close to tears. "Duuuuude, not fair. You tricked me." "Ahh shaddap you crybaby, and pay up. Boss man over here agrees, right?" he said gesturing to the man behind the counter.

"Heh. Yep, he won fair and square, but I'll tell ya what, I'll make your bowl on the house, for puttin' on such a good show eh? So you only have to pay for his." Junpei thanked the man as he walked away laughing. Junpei then turned to Maiku and asked, "How the hell did you come up with that one?" Maiku responded simply, "I didn't. I found it on the Internet." Junpei just stared at him, then slumped in his seat and bashed his head on the counter.

The moral of this story? Don't underestimate the power of the Internet!!

--

Me & Maiku: JUNPEI GOT P U N K E D!!

Maiku: XD that was the greatest thing ever.

Me: Hell yeah, i came up with it,of course its awesome! And im serious, i found that on the internet XD.

Me: Anyways, the next post will actually be a real chapter, I just felt like making this one on the spur of the moment, and while i wait for my beta reader to get back to me.

Maiku: And remember, the author doesn't own, nor claim to own Persona3. Thats all ATLUS USA.

Me: I seriously wish though.. cuz then i could stop writing these disclaimers.

Maiku: Just shaddap already and get writing!

Me: You cant talk to me like that, I MADE YOU

Maiku: and yet i constantly kick your ASS

Me, ok fine \


	6. A dream, a hopeless situation

Chapter 5: A dream, a hopeless situation, and an awakening

Chapter 5: A dream, a hopeless situation, and an awakening.

--

_"Heheh. This is gonna be a fun year, I can feel it!"_

_--_

"Fun maybe... but damn I'm tired"

Maiku closed the front door to the dorm behind him yawning. Mitsuru looked up from the heavy looking book she was reading and spoke. "Welcome back, Kamiyama." Maiku nodded his head in response and said, "Thanks senpai, but _damn_ I'm tired... The first day of ANYTHING wears me out so much. Or it could be the fact that I only slept about 4 hours last night..."

Hearing this Mitsuru resumed reading her book and spoke. "You should probably go to bed early then, it would be bad if you were tired on your first day of classes."

Hearing this Mitsuru resumed reading her book and spoke. "You should probably go to bed early then, it would be bad if you were tired on your first day of classes."

"Spoken like a true wise-woman. Or at least someone with experience on the matter." Maiku smirked and then continued, "I guess I should take your advice and go to bed early today. 'Night Mitsuru-sempai." With a small wave he headed upstairs, moving ever closer towards his soft bed, where he could go to sleep and hopefully stay that way until tomorrow morning rolled around.

--

_An hour later_

--

Mitsuru was still seated in the lounge, reading her book, when she looked up to the sound of approaching footsteps, to see a very confident looking male student walking her way. He stopped in front of Mitsuru and spoke. "I'm going out for a bit." Mitsuru furrowed her brows and responded with, "Hm..."

"Didn't you see the newspaper? There's a lot going on."

Mitsuru sighed and spoke. "... I know. People who never had problems before are suddenly developing serious cases of 'Apathy Syndrome'... I've seen it in the news quite a bit lately. They say it's due to stress but..."

The confident student, who wore a red sweater vest over a white shirt and had platinum blond hair, just chuckled and said, "Tch, yeah right. It has to be _them_. Otherwise it's not worth my time..." Mitsuru could only smile when she spoke. "You sure have a one track mind... Will you be alright on your own? The chairman will be here for the next few days, but after that, I can..."

The male student cut her off with a wave of his hand, and spoke as he headed towards the door. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I'm just getting a little practice. See ya later." And with the sound of the door opening and closing, the male student was gone, leaving Mitsuru alone in the lounge once again. She closed her eyes, shook her head and went back to her reading while muttering, "This isn't a game Akihiko..."

--

_Beep, beep. Beep, beep. Beep bee-- _

"Goddammit, I really need to get a better sounding alarm clock... I'll explode if I have to hear that every morning... feels like drills drillin' into my brain... all drill like... arrgh! I'm so tired that my crappy sentences are worse than normal!" Maiku yawned sleepily as he sat up in bed and seriously contemplated sleeping in for the second day in a row. He shook that thought and looked at his clock thinking, "Damn, I really wish, but I can't be doing that just yet... Yep, 6:30, woke up same time as usual. Guess I'll get used to waking up before noon again at some point..."

Groggily, he dragged himself out of bed, gathered up his towel and bathroom supplies, and headed for the shower, determined to start the new day even if his body screamed in protest. 10 minutes later, he was back in his room, feeling refreshed and awake. Or at least as awake as he was gonna get.

Lazily, Maiku got dressed, then seeing as he had almost one and a half hours before he had to get on the train to school, he sat down on his bed with his back to the wall, and pulled out his guitar from its case. The handle of the guitar was black, except for the bright blue lightning bolt running the length of it. The base of the guitar itself, was a shade of "electric blue", with lightning bolts similar to the one on the handle littered all over it. It wasn't the best looking guitar in the world, (It was kinda' scratched in one or two places, and in _SERIOUS_ need of a new coat of wax) but it was his pride and joy.

--

Yukari glanced at her watch as she walked down the stairs from the 3rd floor, where the girl's room's were. It read 8:10. She nodded her head as she reached the 2nd floor and stopped momentarily. "Perfect, this gives us 10 minutes to have breakfast before we have to leave so we can catch the 8:30 train. Maybe we can actually make it without rushing to--" Her train of thought was derailed when she heard the sounds of guitar floating from the general direction of Maiku's room.

The closer she got to his door, the clearer the guitar sounded, and she also realized (after she reached right outside his door), that there was a voice accompanying the sounds of the guitar. It was a slow sounding song. Yukari pressed her ear to the door to better hear the sounds coming from within, and this is what she heard.

_"...Fly away, down the lonely roads of yesterday, _

_We close our eyes, to see the lights of brighter days..._

_And all alone we'll be,_

_Where time can never heal,_

_With the trail of broken hearts flying freeeee..."_

Shortly after that was the sound of a botched note and a curse from within. "Shit, stupid finger getting stuck on the string again. I really gotta get some new ones..." The sound of the botched note shook Yukari out of her music induced trance. She took a step back from the door and shook her head to clear her mind._ Huh, I thought he was all talk, but that sounded really good... Guess he doesn't have that case just for show. _She smirked at the thought and knocked on the door. A slight creak of bedsprings, and a few padded footsteps later, the room's inhabitant opened the door, and seemed surprised to see Yukari standing there with a smile on her face.

"Eh? Yuka-tan? What are you doing here. I thought you'd be downstairs having breakfast already." He sounded slightly nervous, and Yukari could most likely guess why. "Well I kinda overslept a bit and just came down about 2 minutes ago. By the way, you really can play that guitar you carry around huh?" She smirked as his faced turned a few shades of red.

"W-Well yeah, I wouldn't carry it around if I couldn't play it..." He coughed to try and hide his embarrassment and spoke again. "Anyways, you should head down and eat, I'll be down in a sec. Just need to grab my stuff." Before she could press further, Maiku shut the door to his room. Yukari just shrugged and headed downstairs, wondering why he was so embarrassed at the fact that she had heard him playing the guitar...

Inside his room, Maiku let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding and said to himself, "Jeez, I didn't think she'd show up again this morning. Hope she didn't hear me singing..." 3 minutes later, Maiku was downstairs rummaging in the fridge for some milk for his cereal, while Yukari lazily ate her bowl, and Mitsuru sipped at her tea while reading the newspaper. A short while later, he and Yukari said their goodbyes to the red-headed high school senior, and made their way to school. This time not having to run for their lives.

--

It was near the end of the last class for the day, and Maiku sat there in his seat with his head propped up on one hand, halfheartedly listening to what Ms. Toriumi was talking about. He glanced at the desk that was connected to his to spot Junpei staring at the blackboard intently. Upon closer examination, Maiku realized he was spacing out. He turned his attention back to the teacher, determined to learn at least _something_ in the last 5 minutes.

"...Kitahara is great, but I think I prefer Fuyuhiko Yoshimura. His works aren't as famous, but that's what I like about him. My personal favorite is "Mangekyo." Why isn't it ever in textbooks...? I'll bring it next time so you can write an essay on it. ...Okay, Junpei. Read the next bit please." Silence responded to her request. Ms. Toriumi looked over to see Junpei blankly staring off into space, and her right eyebrow twitched slightly in annoyance.

With the skill of a ninja, she threw a piece of chalk at him, nailing him right between the eyes. This seemed to have dragged Junpei back to reality as he shot up with a startled, "GAAH!!" Maiku made a mental note to never piss Toriumi-sensei off, he didn't want to be used for target practice. But he couldn't help but laugh along with the rest of the class when Junpei looked around and realized he was standing.

"Well now, so _very_ glad you could join us back here on earth Iori. Now then, let's see if you heard me from all the way in 'La-la land'... Who did I say was my favorite author?" Junpei clearly didn't know, that much was obvious from the fact that he was sweating buckets. "H-Huh? U-Ummm..." It was clear that Junpei was about to bomb hard, and Maiku considered letting him, to teach him not to daydream. But then he recalled what being laughed at by the entire class was like, and he didn't even wish that on his worst enemies.

Acting quickly, he scribbled "Fuyuhiko Yoshimura" on a scrap of paper, slid it partway onto Junpei's conjoined desk and stealthily prodded him in the side with his elbow. Junpei flicked a glance at him and quickly down the length of his arm, down to the paper he was tapping. "Well Junpei?" Ms. Toriumi questioned with a slight tone that easily said, 'I thought so'. Junpei smiled back at his sensei and said, "It's Fuyuhiko Yoshimura, right Toriumi-sensei?"

Maiku swore he could hear the sound of 25 jaws hitting the floor simultaneously. Ms. Toriumi was the first to recover. "Well then, that's right. So you we're listening after all!." Junpei laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head while he sat back down. "Eheheh... well, you know how I like to pay attention!"

When the teacher had turned her attention back to the rest of the class, Junpei turned to the very lazy looking guy on his right and whispered, "Thanks bro, you really saved my bacon there." Maiku just shrugged and tried to keep his face impassive. "Meh. I know what it's like when that happens. I don't wanna see other people go through it too, it sucks _royally_" Junpei just snickered quietly, and a small smile broke out over Maiku's face. The two spent the rest of the class conversing quietly.

--

Maiku closed the front door to the dorm behind him, still laughing slightly to himself at the conversation he and Junpei and just finished having before the parted ways to go home. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice Yukari waving him over from the couches near the front door. There was an unfamiliar man in a plain light brown suit, with matching hair color, wearing glasses sitting in the puffy chair adjacent to her.

Yukari was the first to speak. "Looks like he's back." The other gentleman looked Maiku over quickly and said more to himself than anyone else, "So, this is our new guest..." Both he and Yukari stood up, and Maiku took this as a sign to walk over and join them near the couches. The man extended his hand, and Maiku shook it briefly. Then he spoke. "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the chairman of the Board for your school. 'Ikutsuki'... Hard to say isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes..." The man chuckled.

Now Maiku knew the man was just trying to be funny to break the ice, but his sense of humor was so bad that it barely even scratched the ice. Ice 1, Ikutsuki 0. He forced a small laugh, and the man waved his arm at the couches. "Please, have a seat." Maiku did just that, taking a seat next to Yukari on one of the couches, while Ikutsuki sat down in the chair he was in earlier.

After settling himself back into his chair, Ikutsuki spoke. "I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it might take a while longer before they get sorted out. So, is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

Maiku thought about it for a sec, "Well what are you doing here Ikutsuki-san?" The man chuckled. "To welcome you, of course. Well, to be honest, I do have other business here. Speaking of which..." He turned to Yukari. "...Where's Mitsuru, Yukari?" "She's upstairs." The man nodded. "As diligent as always. Although it doesn't hurt to come down and say hello... Anyways, anything else you want to ask me, Maiku?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I'm good. Thank you Ikutsuki-san." The man smiled and stood up. "Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now then, you must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!'... Ehehehe..." At this point Maiku couldn't stand it any more. "Ok sir, I KNOW you're just trying to be funny to lighten the mood, but seriously, you need to work on your material..."

Ikutski sighed defeated and replied, "Yes, I get that a lot...Oh well. Good night." And with that he walked towards the stairs. After he had disappeared upstairs somewhere, Yukari turned to Maiku and glared at him. He raised his hands in defense saying, "What? He really did suck. Better we tell him now than he pulls that humor somewhere important and he gets fired or jumped." She just sighed and said, "Well I guess... Anyways, you'll get used to his lame jokes at some point." "I hope... Anyways, he's right. I'm tired. Imma head to my room and sleep like there's no tomorrow. Night Yuka-tan."

Yukari's head drooped in defeat. "Oh great, now both you AND Junpei are calling me that..." Maiku just shrugged. "Well I'm too lazy to call you 'Yukari' every time. Night." With a wave of his hand, he got up and headed towards his room.

--

_11:55 PM_

_--_

The rhythmic yet erratic sounds of Mitsuru typing furiously, and the occasional beep, were the only sounds that broke the silence of the room that looked suspiciously like a control room of sorts. The door opened and Ikutsuki walked in, moving to sit on the puffy, stool-like chairs behind the chairs that sat in front of the giant control panel, where Mitsuru and Yukari currently sat.

"Working hard? So, how's he doing?" Ikutsuki asked. Yukari turned her chair about 90 degrees, so she could look at the chairman and the monitor at the same time. The monitor showed a video feed from Maiku's room, revealing him fast asleep in his favorite t-shirt and a pair of long shorts, with his bed sheets kicked all over the place. Mitsuru spoke without looking up from her typing. "He went to bed a little while ago. He's asleep now. Mr. Chairman, do you think he's...?"

"Well, let's just see for now. ...The Dark Hour is approaching."

Suddenly, the nearby grandfather clock in the room whirred to life and struck 12. But before it could sound all 12 chimes, everything except the control panels and monitor went off, including the lights, leaving only a greenish hue to match the first night Maiku arrived off the train. A sharp intake of air could be heard from Yukari. "He didn't change into a coffin!?" Mitsuru chipped in with, "So it would seem."

"The Dark Hour... A time between one day and the next... a 'Hidden' hour that occurs every night at midnight. Normal people would have Transmogrified into a coffin, and would be completely oblivious of what was happening." Yukari turned to stare at the chairman and spoke. "Then he must be..."

Ikutsuki nodded his head in response to Yukari's unasked question. "Yes, now the only question that remains is whether or not he has the _potential_. Although, he must... Or else they would have preyed on him by now..." Yukari shuddered slightly. "Scary... But I do feel kinda bad for spying on him like this..."

"But there is one odd thing..." Ikutski mused out loud. "... Even those who have the_ potential_ tend to be unstable at first... Memory loss... disorientation. But this subject hasn't exhibited any of the common symptoms..." Yukari glanced back at the monitor and spoke. "But... we're treating him like a guinea pig." Ikutsuki nodded. "I understand, but it is imperative that we recruit new members."

Suddenly there was a beep from the panel, and that's where everything started going south in a hurry...

--

He was rushing forwards really fast. How he knew, he didn't know, because he couldn't feel any wind, or hear anything. He slowly opened his eyes, and they showed him that he was indeed rushing forwards at an astonishing pace. The floor (which he saw in brief flashes) was checked blue and white. He raised his eyes a bit and they widened in horror as he saw he was rushing towards a door and, to him, it looked like it wasn't opening fast enough for him to make it through cleanly at the speed he was going.

He raised his arms to shield his face and yelled, "WHAT KIND OF SCREWED UP DREAM IS THIS!!" Suddenly he was through the door, and his feet seemed to remember that gravity existed and made contact with the floor. But some unknown force had made him keep moving forward, and he tumbled to the floor, rolling a few times before skidding to a halt on his front, next to an elegantly carved wooden chair which sat in front of a table and another chair opposite.

"Hurgh... I think my face has third degree carpet burns... hurph" This drew out a small chuckled from the inhabitant of the chair opposite to the one Maiku was currently laying beside. Maiku looked up from the floor to see a really old looking man sitting there, with a very long nose and a balding head. To his left stood a somewhat plain looking woman wearing a blue dress and a blue hat.

In fact, the whole room was varying shades of blue. Maiku took a look at his surroundings and soon realized the back wall appeared to be a sliding steel grate, like the ones in old fashioned elevators. It was identical actually, seeing as lights behind the steel grate constantly flew by as the room headed seemingly ever upwards. The clock mounted on the steel grate was spinning at a ridiculous speed, so Maiku guessed its purpose wasn't to tell time.

Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man." Maiku had almost forgotten the man was sitting there, and he had almost forgotten that he was still on the floor on his stomach. The man gestured to the chair beside Maiku. "Please, take a seat. That floor must be very uncomfortable." Maiku sprang up, trying to salvage as much dignity as possible, and sat down in the chair, which turned out to be extremely comfortable and soft.

The long nosed man spoke again. "My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance" He spoke in a slow and careful manner, oozing politeness and formality. He waved a hand in the direction of the woman standing next to him and continued. "This is Elizabeth. She's a resident here, like myself." The woman bobbed her head politely and spoke. "Pleased to meet you."

Igor spoke up again. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It's been _YEARS_ since we've had a guest." He waved his gloved hand over the table between himself and Maiku, and on it appeared a clipboard. Maiku recognized it almost immediately. "Hey, that's the contract I signed my first night at the dorm! How the hell do you have it..." Igor ignored his second statement. "Yes this is that contract. Only those who have signed it can enter this place. Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. I only ask one thing in return... that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

"But you are an interesting one... you wont be needing my help in the usual sense. Very interesting indeed..." He chuckled to himself lightly. Maiku on the other hand, didn't see what was so funny. He was too busy wondering what kind of screwed up dream he was having. He asked tentatively, "This... this IS a dream right?"

Igor nodded. "Precisely... you are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. This visit of yours is merely a dream. However, you will come here of your own accord, sooner or later... So in hopes of that, hold on to this..." Before Maiku could react, a small, blue tinged, silver key appeared in his hand. Igor continued.

"You will need that for your next visit... but for now you're needed back in the real world... your first challenge, and your awakening awaits." Maiku stared at the man confusedly. "Wait what? Challenge? Awakening? What the hell are you talking abo--" He was cut off by the darkness that swallowed everything, and he could feel himself slowly drifting back to sleep (or at least, this is what he understood).

--

_Beep, Beep, Beep._

The beeping came from the control panel, and Mitsuru quickly reached over and flipped a switch near the base of the microphone that was attached to the panel. She spoke in a commanding voice, "Command room... Is that you Akihiko?" The confident student spoke from the other side of a transceiver. "Yeah, and you're not gonna believe this! This thing is HUGE! Unfortunately I don't have time to talk... It's chasing me. I wanted to let you guys know. I'm almost there." The connection shut off.

Yukari was the first to react. "Does that mean.. He's bringing that thing HERE?!" Mitsuru silently muttered under her breath, "Damm you Akihiko..." In a more audible tone she said "Mr. Chairman! We need to suspend our observations and prepare for battle NOW!" Ikutsuki, slightly taken aback by Mitsuru's forcefulness, stammered, "R-Right! Be careful."

They were everything but careful as they ran down the 4 flights of stairs to the dorm's front entrance. They arrived just on time to hear the door slam and see Akihiko lean back against the door and slide down to the floor clutching at his side. They could see that he'd been injured pretty badly. Yukari knelt down beside him and tried to move his arm so she could see the damage, but he just pulled away and cried out in pain.

"Agh! I'm alright for now, but get ready for the surprise of your lives... It'll be here any second." Mitsuru glared at him angrily. "This is no time to joke around!" Ikutsuki spoke up over Mitsuru and asked, "Is it one of them, Akihiko?" He nodded. "Yeah but it's not a normal one--"

No sooner had the words left his mouth, the building shook with the force resembling an elephant colliding with the side of the building. Yukari shouted in surprise. "Ahh!! What the... !? You've gotta be kidding me! How big IS this thing!?"

Mitsuru ignored her and pulled out a gun, similar to the one Yukari was carrying, and began to take command of the situation. "Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room." He nodded and jogged away. She turned to Yukari and continued. "Takeba. Go upstairs and wake him up. Then, escape out the back." Yukari was hesitant to leave.

"But, what about you two?"

"We'll stop it here. Now GO!" Yukari took one last look at the situation and ran towards the stairs. Mitsuru now turned to Akihiko with an evil smile on her face. He gulped. "Oh crap." "Well Akihiko, you led it to us. So I'm afraid you'll have to fight." He scowled. "Like I had a choice!"

--

"Man what the hell is going on down there... Feels like an elephant bashed into the front of the dorm." Maiku contemplated this Elephant-Wall interaction while he quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, keeping his favorite T-shirt on. He had just reached his door when someone started banging on it from the outside. Before he could utter a single word, Yukari's voice sounded through the door with, "Maiku! Wake Up! Sorry, I'm coming in!"

With that, the door swung open and Yukari rushed in, only to collide with Maiku, who was standing right in front of the door. They crashed to the floor, with Yukari landing on top of Maiku, who somehow landed face down. Yukari quickly scrambled up and, with a groan, Maiku sat up and rubbed the back of his head, swearing that gravity was plotting against him and that's how he always ended up face down on the floor.

"What the heck is going in here Yuka--" The building shook violently again, almost causing Yukari to lose her footing. She managed to stay standing and then said, "I don't have time to explain, We have to get out of here, NOW!" She walked over and grabbed Maiku by the arm and proceeded to half drag him out his door. Maiku nodded weakly, his mind still reeling with that the heck was going on. He slightly remembered a very weird dream before this... but it hurt his head to try and figure out what it was.

They had reached the ground floor and Maiku told Yukari, "Oi, you can let go of me now, I'm good." Nodding, Yukari released him and quickly headed over to the door in the back of the lounge. "C'mon, We should be safe for now--"

_Beep, Beep, Beep_.

"GAH! Oh, it's just the transceiver." Yukari breathed a sigh of relief and Mitsuru's voice could be heard through the device.

"Takeba, do you read me?" "Y-Yeah, I can hear you." "Be careful! There's more than one enemy! The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!" Yukari just stared at the device in her hand. "Wait WHAT?!"

_BANG, BANG, BANG._

Yukari leaped away from the door with a startled, "GAH!!", almost colliding with Maiku yet again. "C-Crap, they're here too, we gotta get out of here... Quick, upstairs!" With that, the bolted back upstairs, with Maiku right on her heels exclaiming, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Yukari stopped on the second floor landing to catch her breath, with Maiku catching up and stopping beside her, face set in a look of concentration. He nodded to himself then spoke. "Oi, Yukari. This place has a roof access right?" She just nodded, unsure of why he would want to know. He continued, "Good, that means we can get up there and get to the next roof over, maybe further."

He roughly grabbed her arm and started pulling her towards the stairs to the 3rd floor, while

continuing to speak. "I may have no clue as to what in the name of sweet baby Jesus is going on in this place, but I don't plan on finding out the hard way."

He was distracted by a sudden revelation. He swore loudly, let go of Yukari's arm and turned to bolt downstairs again, but Yukari grabbed him instead and cried out, "Where are you going?! We need to get out of here!"

Maiku wrenched himself free from her grasp and gripped the banister tightly, then jumped on it and balanced on it for a moment while he spoke. "I gotta' get back to my room. I'm not leaving without my guitar!" Before Yukari could grab him he leaped, landing softly, and was soon lost from sight as he sprinted down the hall in the direction of his room.

This left Yukari in a difficult position. Should she go down and help him just in case? Should she wait? Or should she leave? Before she could bring herself to decide, another loud crash could be heard from downstairs, but it was closer this time. Following this was a loud _THUNK. _

The second loud noise confused Yukari slightly, but the shout that followed was unmistakably Maiku shouting at the top of his lungs, "GET YER FREAKING SLIMY ASS AWAY FROM THAT CASE!" Another _THUMP _later, and Yukari could see Maiku sprinting up the stairs 3 at a time, now carrying his familiar black guitar case.

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! That _thing_ isn't that far behind me!" He raced past her, grabbing her arm in the process, then proceeded to half drag half lead Yukari up the stairs at a remarkable pace. They flew past the 4th floor command room and kept going up. Momentarily, they made it to the 5th floor, and Yukari moved past him to unlock the roof access door, a faint but a loud thump_,_

_thump, thump_ in the distance, most likely it was the sound of, whatever it was, climbing the stairs.

Yukari opened the door, ran out, and motioned for Maiku to follow quickly. He did, and she locked the door behind him, effectively shutting out the thing that was chasing them. Yukari was breathing heavily from so much running. "Phew... I think we'll be safe for now..."

"I don't think so Yukari..." Yukari just looked up at Maiku, about to tell him to stop being paranoid when the building shook again, and she inhaled sharply.

A black hand grabbed the edge of the roof... then another. Maiku expected something to pull itself up, but yet another hand grabbed the edge. The hands tensed, and something emerged from the edge of the roof. It was a mass of black arms. No legs, no body, just arms.

One of the said arms was carrying a mask. It was a plain, blue mask. Well plain except for the fact that it was being wielded by a multi-armed freak. The mask turned and seemed to spot Yukari and Maiku just standing there. It drew several blades, and moved in to strike.

Maiku took an involuntary step back, and Yukari moved in between him and the thing, the gun she had on the first night drawn. "These things... We call them shadows!" As the thing moved closer, Maiku saw Yukari take a deep breath and point the gun, not at the creature, but at her own head. She took a few more deep breaths to steel herself, and would have pulled the trigger if not for the creature smashing it out of her hand.

It dropped to the ground at Yukari's feet and bounced towards Maiku. The creature then proceeded to attack Yukari, knocking her sideways a little distance away. She got up quickly, allowing Maiku to breathe a sigh of relief, seeing she wasn't hurt. He then turned his attention back to the creature, which was now headed at him.

Maiku quickly scooped up the fallen weapon, but panic and fear prevented him from doing more as the creature let out a horrendous cry.

"_Come on. You know what to do."_

Maiku had braced for the attack of the creature and shut his eyes, waiting for the blow to fall... But it didn't. Realizing this, Maiku cracked open one eye, and saw that time had seemed to have taken a break, as nothing was moving. He glanced around quickly saw Yukari's face frozen in a look of shock, and he saw the creature, poised to leap, less than 3 feet away.

"_Go on... I know you can do it..."_

The voice seemed to come from inside his own head, and looking around, he found no source of it. Then, out of nowhere, the young boy who made him sign the contract had appeared a short distance behind the now frozen creature. The boy stood there with the same bemused smile on his face as he wore on the first night Maiku met him.

The boy chuckled slightly, and then, with his hand, motioned shooting himself in the head with an imaginary gun. "You can do this, can't you? Or are you willing to end here...Heheheh" The boy smiled innocently as he laughed.

Maiku looked at the gun in his hand, then back at the boy again. Realization hit, yet he didn't know how he knew that shooting himself in the head with this thing would save his ass royally. All he knew was that he had one shot at this, and he had another voice in his head cheering him on other than the mysterious boy. It was egging him on incessantly.

It seemed that time had come back from its break, as the creature leaped at him, and Yukari shouted "Look out!!" With a flick of his wrist, he had the gun pointing at his head, and he smirked before he spoke. "Come on then... Let's DANCE!!"

A loud bang sounded, followed by what seemed like shattering glass, and a sound that was a mix between a lightning bolt and an electric guitar chord. Then, an almighty howl reverberated with such force, that the creature was knocked back slightly and Yukari lost her balance and fell on her butt.

She looked at Maiku and her jaw dropped. Above him, there had formed a large, bright blue, two headed wolf that seemed to have sparks of electricity arching all over it. Maiku himself, was laughing like a kid who just realized that the world was made of chocolate, as the large beast above his head spoke in a tone that commanded attention and respect. "One and the same, Thou and I, We share life and death the same. I am Zaze, the herald of the storm!"

Maiku stopped laughing abruptly and doubled over as if in pain. Yukari gasped, and was about to rush over when a sudden change caught her eye and made her stop dead in her tracks. The bright blue wolf that floated above Maiku's head was turning black at an alarming pace. And this seemed to trigger another bout of laughter Maiku himself, only this time the laugh was wild, uncontrolled, and purely insane sounding.

"Heh...hehehe...hahahaha...AAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!" Maiku stood upright again, his face crazed and completely devoid of the small traces of a smile it always held. Seeing this, Yukari took a step back and spoke quietly. "What the... Maiku?"

He wasn't listening. His attention was focused on the creature which had started towards him again. He let looses a short peal of crazed laughter, and then stated, "Come on, Come ON!! Let's DANCE!!"

The creature leaped at him, and just when it seemed that Maiku had forgotten that he was under attack and was about to be struck, Yukari threw her arms over her eyes to block out the sight she knew was coming.

A swish, a loud crack and the twang of a guitar sounded. Followed by the sound of something shattering. Yukari looked out from behind her hands to see Maiku behind the the shadow, holding the handle of his guitar like a sword. She also saw the shadow's mask shatter, and the creature itself melt into nothingness.

Maiku faced the skies again and laughed madly, seemingly rejoicing in his kill, when suddenly 2 more shadows climbed up over the edge, and onto the roof. He faced them, his laughter renewed, and shouted, "Yeah Yeah!! Now THIS is a PARTY!!"

With a cry that was equal part laughter, pain, and insanity, he rushed at the new foes, and in a few moments it was over.

The danger gone, Yukari snapped out of her apparent trance, and got up and dusted herself off. She then slowly approached Maiku, who was standing in the middle of the roof silently. A bright color caught her eye, and she looked up to see the beast above Maiku change back into its original color, then fade away completely.

Maiku, hearing footsteps behind him, spun around happily and smiled widely at Yukari. "Did you see that!! That was friggin' AWESOME! HAHAHA!" And with that, he pitched forward, and hit the floor unconscious. The last thing he remembered before the darkness was Mitsuru, Akihiko, and the Chairman bursting through the roof door.

--

Me: Holy crap this is my longest chapter EVAR!!

Maiku: Yeah it is, and apparently my secrets out, I'm completely insane T-T

Me: pats maiku on the back It's ok, im crazy too.

Maiku: Oh and incase you didnt get it, the persona is pronounced Zah-Zii. And, Incase you've all been living under a rock, the song I was playing/Singing was Trail of Broken Hearts, by DragonForce.

Me: so yes, I dont own, nor claim to own Persona3. It belongs to atlus, LONG LIVE ATLUS!!

Maiku: Next time, Waking up, an invitation, and a new recruit.

Me: BE THERE OR FACE THE WRATH OF MAH LAZERZ!!

Maiku: Hush you.

Me: Oh, and Thank you GREATLY Mr Ceturious, for Beta-ing for me. Feel free to add yourself to these little skits at the end of each chapter if you so wish :D


	7. Maiku BIO

EXTRA Extra Chapter.

Me: Oh dear god i just realised that i dont have a single description of my chatacter yet DX. I put so much detail in the others that i forgot.

Maiku: YOU FORGOT ABOUT ME!? HOW COULD YOU!!

Me: Im sorry D: To make it up to him for forgeting, this small mini chapter will be all about him.

Maiku: It better be.

Maiku Kamiyama

Age: 16

Birthday: November 23 1992

Blood type: O

Hair style/ colour: Very dark blue hair, almost black. Short.

Height: 5' 10.5"

Talents: Guitar, cooking, Greek, non-existent sense of direction (I cant say more or else id ruin the plot)

Strengths: Math, Agility, Running the hell away, Insanity.

Weaknesses: Geography, history, anything boring really.

Defining features: The silver ring on his right middle finger, the sliver and black bracelet on his right wrist, his favourite "I am a bomb technition. If you see me running,TRY TO KEEP UP" T-shirt, the Electric blue electric guitar he always carries around inside its black case.

Favourite music: Rock, Metal, and anything fast with lots of guitar.

Me: And thats the basic gist of it people. I hope you now have a clearer picture in your minds about Maiku!!

Maiku: I hope, i dont wanna be forgotten like some 2bit character.


	8. Waking up

Chapter 6: Waking up, repairing an old friend, and revelations.

Me: Ok before I start the chapter, I'd like to apologize. Not for not updating in a while, but because--

Maiku: LIES!!

-Maiku beats me down horribly-

Maiku: Ahem, What he REALLY wanted to say was he's sorry for not updating in quite a while. He's been too busy playing Persona 3:FES. I really don't see whats so good about it really. I mean its just... a... game... Is that Mitsuru fighting in a bikini?

Me: Most definitely good buddy.

Maiku: ... I take it back. I love this game.

Mitsuru: Whats this about me and a bikini...

Me & Maiku: Uh... nothing...-gulp-

Mitsuru: LIES! You shall both be EXECUTED!!

Me & Maiku: OH SHIT DUDE!!

Maiku: Just so you know, I blame you.

Me: Point taken. START ZE CHAPTER!

--

A rushing sensation, devoid of wind, feeling or sound. Bright blue eyes flickered open to see the rushing blue and black checked floor, and a blue door speeding towards him.

"Oh crap not again..." This time however, having gone through this once before, he braced himself for the landing on the other side of the door.

Maiku emerged on the other side of the door (on his feet this time instead of his face), and took the seat opposite the blue room's inhabitants.

"Hmm? Back so soon are we. I assumed that your little "challenge" would have kept you a while longer..."

"... Huh.. you know, the funny thing is, I can't remember what the heck happened on the rooftop after I fired that gun at my head... wait a sec... HOLY CRAP! Did I really die?!"

Maiku started to panic slightly while Igor chuckled and spoke. "No no, you are not dead. You became unconscious after awakening to your "power". It's nothing to worry about. So just relax. By the way... I see that it was Zaze that answered to your call. That power, is called a Persona... A manifestation of your psyche, if you will.

"Uh... sure... you call it a persona, I call it a crazy, huge, floating blue, electrified, two headed wolf. But yeah, Persona works just fine."

Igor shook his head and chuckled slightly before continuing. "It may take quite a while for you to fully comprehend it's meaning. A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli... You may think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. That being said, your power is still weak..."

A dark blue eyebrow twitched slightly as Maiku retorted, "Whaddaya mean 'weak'!"

Igor continued on as if uninterrupted. "Your Persona's ability draws on your inner strength. That ability evolves as you develop your Social links-- your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social links, the more powerful you Persona ability. Please remember that. Now then," he gestured to the giant spinning clock behind him, "Time marches on in your world, so I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you'll come of your own accord. Until then... Farewell..."

The now silent guest of the room could only nod as the room faded out, his mind still absorbing all that was just said.

--

Light gently filtered in, casting a warm glow on the room. The bed's occupant shifted slightly and groaned, slowly opening his eyes and taking a quick, hazy glance around the room, trying to unscramble the mess that was his head.

"Arf... Note to self... visiting alternate planes of existence during dreams really hurts the brain... now then... where the hell am I..."

"Oh! You're awake! Uh... how do you feel." Maiku turned his head towards the source of the familiar sounding voice, but had to shield his eyes, as the figure was standing in front of the window. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he recognized the figure as Yukari sitting on a chair next to his bed.

"Oh, it's just you Yuka-tan... Uhh, question time. Where am I, and why are you here?"

She breathed a sigh of relief before she spoke. "First of all, thank goodness you finally came to, you've been asleep for a whole week!" "Woah, really?" Maiku glanced at his watch and the date it showed verified it. "Huh... 2 days in and I already missed a week of school. This is a new record. So yes, my questions?"

"Oh, yeah. This is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station. And to answer your second question, you kinda saved my life... so I couldn't just leave you here." She scratched her cheek nervously for a second before she continued.

"So yeah, the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you. He said you were just suffering from exhaustion. But you kept sleeping, and sleeping. We were starting to get a little worried. Oh, um... I'm sorry I couldn't do anything... even though I was supposed to be the one protecting _you_. Heh, seems like the roles kinda got mixed up didn't they."

"Yeah they did kinda... hey, I can't remember, what did I _do_ exactly?"

"Oh that. Your power... We call it "Persona". And those creatures you fought were Shadows-- our enemy. Don't worry if this is all a bit too much for you, We'll explain everything later. Sorry about not telling you this before... I, uh... I wanted to tell you that... I'm sorta like you."

"No way! You're a guitar loving crazy person too?! Awesome!!"

Yukari's face visibly twitched in annoyance as she spoke threateningly. "Baka! You may have just woken up, but don't think I'll take it easy on you if you keep cracking jokes like that! Seriously, I'm trying to be sincere here." "Hehehe, okay okay I'm sorry. I just can't help but crack stupid jokes, I have a whole week to catch up on ya know."

"Well now that we've had our daily dose of stupid, I was trying to say I was like you in the fact that I'm alone too..." Her voice suddenly took on a more serious, and slightly sad tone as she rose from her chair and went to lean on the windowsill. "My dad... He died in an accident when I was little... And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms... You're all alone too, right? To be honest, I already know about your past... But, it didn't seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine."

"Yeah that sounds about fair." Maiku interrupted with a look on his face that was more irritation than anger. He looked up at Yukari and shut up again, seeing the glare she was giving him.

"Anyways, the accident. It was back in '99... There was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened... He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So, I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out something. That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and why I was there when this happened to you. ...Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help... I'm sorry you had to go through all this because of me..."

Makiu shook his head and said, "Nah, don't be. I've gone through worse stuff than this. And besides, even though its the only way to bring out our powers, shooting yourself in the head is something any sane person would hesitate to do."

Yukari huffed and looked away, speaking in a low voice, "You didn't seem to have a problem..."

"Ah, but it's like I said, no _SANE_ person would do it. I'm about as far from sane as you can get."

His face suddenly lit up in realization and he added, "Oh yeah. I see all my clothes and stuff over there, but where's my guitar? Uh... that look on your face... it isn't exactly filling me with confidence ya know..."

"Uh... about your guitar..." Yukari was visibly uncomfortable as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other a few times before she answered, "It kinda got _'slightly'_ damaged in your fight a week ago..."

"... How slight is 'slightly'..."

She pulled the case out from the cabinet at the other end of the room and placed it into Maiku's lap. He opened it, and his jaw all but dislocated itself from his head. The guitar was mostly trashed. There was a large crack now running down the length of the handle, all the strings were torn, and the base was cracked and had chipped of along the edges quite badly.

"Oh no freaking way... no no no, this isn't happening... this... gah..." He was so close to the verge of tears that he couldn't even form proper sentences anymore.

Yukari looked in in mixed pity and (mostly) curiosity. "Uh, I don't wanna be rude but... can't you just buy a new one?" The look she got from him was all the answer she needed and more. "Okay okay. How bout this. There's a guitar shop over at Paulonia Mall, I'm sure you can get it fixed, right?"

Maiku just cleared his throat and nodded his response. Yukari stood leaning against the windowsill in the awkward silence for a few moments before she spoke up again. "And here I am telling you all this the minute you wake up. While I was waiting...I thought to myself, "I've been hiding so many things from him... As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth." So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time."

"No problem. If I knew that taking a week long nap gets people to spill their life stories, I woulda pulled this years ago." He smiled innocently and brightly as Yukari just rolled her eyes and pushed her self off the windowsill, headed towards the door.

"Whatever, Mr. Smoothtalker. I'm gonna get going. I'll let the others know you woke up. Take it easy, okay? Be a good patient! And don't hesitate to call the nurse."

"Hmm..." Maiku stroked his chin dramatically. "Depends if she's hot really. Uh, Y-Yukari, please put down that chair. I just woke up. I don't wanna die just yet."

"Aww, you're no fun." She pouted dramatically before sticking out her tongue and waving as she left the room. "See ya tomorrow."

With her gone, Maiku was left alone in the room, with only his broken guitar for company. He stared down at it sadly and mused out loud, "Damm... I never thought I'd see the day you get busted up... ah well... you were in serious need of a new set of strings anyways... Heh." And with that, he got up and dressed, stretching himself out to make sure he was feeling better. He then packed up his guitar and rang the buzzer for the nurse.

--

"Well, this is the place I guess. The sign is kind of a dead giveaway." Maiku stared thoughtfully up at the sign of the store which read _TUNE CITY. _After a moment or two, he snapped himself out of his stoner-like trance and walked into the store.

_-Jingle-_

An old, wizened looking man looked up from the newspaper crossword he was doing behind the counter. He eyed the young man walking towards the counter with a scrutinizing eye, taking in the case on his back and the care with which he took it off his back and placed it on the counter.

"Well, what can I do ya for son?" "HI. Do you do repairs here?" Maiku took the nod as a confirmation. "Good, 'cuz mine got seriously messed up last week. I kinda got into a... a fight, and I had to use it to save me and a friend's collective asses."

The old man sighed, shaking his head, and beckoned towards the case. "Well, open 'er up and lets see the damage boy." Maiku unclasped the case and flipped it open, gingerly taking the guitar out and laying it on the counter in front of the old man.

"Dear Kami boy, what were ya fighting, a brick wall?" The old man sigh in annoyance. Ya punks don't know how to take proper care of yer belongings... by the looks of it, this one was only about a year old... such a short life and a stupid death."

"A year? No no no old man, I've had this thing for about 3 years myself, and my old man had it for god knows how long before that. And I DO take care of my things thank you very much, I value this badboy here more than my own skin, and it only got messed up 'cuz desperate times call for desperate measures, this one just happened to involve using my guitar for self defense." Maiku finished his impromptu speech with a huff as he crossed his arms and stared the old man down.

There where a few moments of electrified tension between the old shopkeeper and the midnight haired boy, before the old man finally broke out laughing.

"Hah! I like you kid, you're the only punk I've seen to walk through those doors that has even the slightest respect for a good guitar. Heh."

Maiku gave the man an over dramatic bow, sweeping an imaginary hat off of his head. "So, will he pull through Dr. Strings?"

The shopkeeper chuckled before answering, "Feh, o' course. Don't go doubting my abilities boy, but I don't see why ya don't just replace the old boy. Copies like this one are easy to come by and cheap."

"What copy? That ain't no copy. Well, it shouldn't be from what I researched. The note my old man left with it clearly stated that this was one of a kind. I'd show you the date imprinted on it, but it was kinda on one of the bits that got chipped off..."

The old man's jaw dropped. His mind started racing, "_There's no way. This kid couldn't have the original...could he? This thing is worth a king's ransom and THEN some. Just who is this kid..."_

"...lo. Helloooooo. Old man? Don't stroke out on me now, I just came from the hospital, I don't wanna have to go back carrying you now."

The old man shook his head and cleared his throat before speaking. "No no, I'm fine kid. Just an old mind spacing out. Sorry if I startled ya."

"Ok then. Just as long as I don't have to call an ambulance, I don't think the people at the hospital would like seeing my face anytime soon..."

"What's yer name boy."

"Sorry old man, your not my type. Though there is this old nurse back at the hospital that you would look wonderful beside."

_WHACK_

"GAH! I was joking, I was joking! Jeez, ya crazy old man."

The man repeated himself as if he hadn't just cuffed the midnight haired boy upside the head. "What's your name, I need it for the repair order ya dumb punk."

"You could have said that ya know. It's Maiku Kamiyama."

The old man nodded slowly as he wrote the name down. "Ok then kid. Usually one of these things would need about a week to get fixed, but since you proved that yer not just another dumb punk, I should have this baby ready to play in about 3 days."

If the smile on Maiku's face was any wider, the top half of his head would have separated from the bottom.

"HAHA! I knew you were an old man, but you never told me you were a miracle worker! WOO!! Whatever the cost, just make sure you keep your word! 3 DAYS!! WOOHOO!!"

"Yeah yeah I get it, your ecstatic. Now stop jumpin' around and beat it, I got work to do if ya want this guitar in top playing condition in 3 days."

Maiku quickly ceased his euphoria induced prancing and bowed deeply to the old man behind the counter. "Thanks again... err what's your name?"

"Daisuke Miyafuji. And don't ya forget it... punk." The old man smiled slightly behind his rather thick beard.

"Right. So yeah, thanks again Miyafuji-san. You're a lifesaver."

Maiku quickly gathered up his case, slung it over his back, and waved good bye to the old man before promptly leaving the store, his joy still very evident on his face.

--

_After making sure the boy wasn't going to suddenly turn back, he let out the breath he didn't even realize he was holding. He gently flipped over the guitar in front of him, just to be absolutely certain. Sure enough, there it was, _that man's_ signature. And underneath it, in a cramped, neat handwriting, 'The Original Blue Thunder'. _

_Shaking his head in amazement at just how small the world can be, he carried the guitar into the workroom in the back and set about his work._

--

Me: FREAKING FINALLY!! UPDATE IS GOOOOOOO!!

Maiku: Took you long enough you procrastinating bastard.

Centurious The Azure: Mitsuru in a bikini would distract any straight man.

Daisuke Ikari (Centurious' OC): Damn straight. Yukari especially!

Junpei: Perverted giggle Yuka-tan is hot, but where was my place in this chapter! I want to start kicking some ass!

Minato: Yeah. Where am I in this?

Centurious The Azure: Sorry to tell you this Minato, but you technically don't exist in this story...

Minato: Oh... goes to cry in Emo Corner

Junpei: pats Minato on back Sucks to be you, dude... Grins Does that mean I'm the leader now?

Akihiko: Not by a long shot.

Junpei sulks in Emo corner

Daisuke Ikari: That was cold... turns to Kamina Can I exist in this story, too?

Centurious The Azure: I'll ask him later.

Me : Well time to start work on the next chapter.

Maiku: You better.

Daisuke Ikari: That means you also, Centurious!

Centurious The Azure: Whatever...

Me & Maiku: BYE BEE!!


End file.
